about

The Rangeview Library District is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees, appointed by the Adams County Board of Commissioners, and is responsible for the library district's finances and formulation of policies. Trustees serve a five-year term. The library board meets regularly once per month. Click here to view the schedule.

Board of Trustees

Ray Coffey 303-433-4661 (H) ray_coffey@comcast.net Unincorporated Adams County Term expires: February 11, 2012

Ray Coffey has worked for the state of Colorado since 1985 as an auditor, accountant and budget analyst. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in technical journalism and studied business and accounting at Metro State College of Denver. He passed the Certified Public Accounting exam in 1987. Earlier in life he was a professional and volunteer ski patroller. He also owned and operated a painting and decorating business.

Ray believes free access to information is a cornerstone of democracy. He also believes libraries and the services they provide can be transformational forces in people’s lives and are an essential component of a community’s infrastructure. As a Board of Trustee, his goal is to help provide great libraries and library services relevant to the 21st century that will enhance the quality of life for all the residents of the library district.

Dorothy Lindsey 303-659-4540 (H) djlindseygol4@aol.com Brighton Term expires: February 11, 2015

Dot Lindsey retired in 2001 after teaching for 30 years in the Brighton schools, where she taught mathematics to junior high and high school students.

She is a licensed fly fisher, sanctioned bowler, registered voter, amateur golfer, advanced beginner pianist, and an ordained deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church. She is also an avid reader. Dot was appointed to the Rangeview Library District Board of Trustees in 2004 for a one-year term, and was reappointed to a five-year term in 2005. Dot was the co-chair of the successful mill levy campaign in 2006.

“I am forever grateful to the voters in our library district for their approval of an increased mill levy to provide the necessary funds to bring our libraries into the 21st century. All of us on the Board of Trustees take very seriously our responsibility to oversee the expenditures of those funds. I believe that the voters will be very pleased with the new libraries that are being built and the refurbishing of several of our current libraries. Our great library staff, and the services they provide, will continue to be what makes our libraries among the best.”

Being a volunteer member of the Rangeview Library District Board of Trustees provides an opportunity to put Dot’s beliefs into action. She believes that libraries are truly unique places. “I believe that libraries are as important as the air we breathe and the water we drink. They do more than inform people; they transform them. Libraries represent all the best qualities that define a free and democratic society. They support the common beliefs of borrowing and returning, respect, courtesy, and equality. Libraries are also a critical part of any community or neighborhood infrastructure. They are equally as important as police and fire departments, and schools. Funding for libraries should be considered a priority, not a luxury.”

Debra L. Neiswonger 303-704-7395 (H) debi-n@comcast.net Thornton Term expires: February 11, 2011

Debra Neiswonger feels lucky to work in fields where she holds her degrees and in areas she loves – books, research, archeology and teaching. She worked for several years as a library technician at the Colorado State Publications Library and then at the Colorado Historical Society’s Stephen H. Hart Library.

Since 2000, she has worked for the Under the Stars overnight program. This eventually inspired her to go back to school to earn her master’s in education from Regis University and obtain her teaching license. Debra was a substitute teacher for two years before becoming a classroom teacher for Adams 14 School District in October 2006. She became the Gifted and Talented liaison for her school in fall 2008.

Along with her master’s in education, Debra also has a master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Denver in history with an emphasis in U.S. western urban history, minor emphasis in public history. She earned double bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and history, as well as a minor in speech communications in May 1994 from Metro State College of Denver.

Debra is a longtime resident of Thornton, Colo. She graduated from Thornton High School in 1989 and has always been an active participant in her community. She began her term as a Rangeview Library District board trustee in 2004 and has previously assisted as a teacher for their adult ESL program. She has been active in the Democratic Party, her church and Eastern Star for many years.

To Debra, a library is a place that symbolizes community, a place where people can meet and talk, socialize or be by themselves. “It is a place to find that great story to escape into or that interesting piece of information you didn’t know about,” she says. “It is a place where you get an amazing book or magazine or perhaps search the web. Yet no matter which of these things you do, in a library you know that you are surrounded by people ready with a smile and a helping hand if you need it.”

Kay Riddle 303-452-5435 (H) kaywriddle@msn.com Northglenn Term expires: February 11, 2013

Kay Riddle’s professional career was mostly in politics. She spent six years as political director and executive director of the Colorado Republican Party and 12 years as a Colorado Republican National committeewoman. Kay also worked for six years as executive director of GOPAC under former congressman Newt Gingrich. During that time, she was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

Her second career was in “baseball and boys,” she says, when she worked for 15 years as executive director of the Opportunity through Baseball Foundation. The organization ran clinics and camps for at-risk, inner-city boys. Kay says this job was very rewarding, and she still hears from some of the participants who have gone on to receive college scholarships, been drafted by major league teams and now have successful careers. She retired from the position on January 31, 2009, but still works as a consultant with Major League Baseball as they take over the foundation.

Reading is one of Kay’s passions; she is a dedicated library customer of the Northglenn Branch and averages two to three books per week. She loves to travel and spend time with her grandchildren. “Now that I am retiring, I plan on trying some gardening,” she says. Her interest in the district began many years ago while she watched out her kitchen window as the current Northglenn Branch was being built. “Since I was in the library two or three times a week, I was very interested when the library director asked me to serve on the board, and I have been happy to serve all these years,” says Kay.

“Libraries have been such a big part of my life from my childhood in Boulder through raising our six children and all through my adult life,” says Kay. “My idea of heaven is opening a new 500-page book with another one sitting on the table, waiting to be opened.”

Linda Wisniewski 303-452-6920 (H) lggwiskey@aol.com Thornton Term expires: February 11, 2013

Linda Wisniewski began her term with the RLD Board in March 2009. She has a business degree with a project management concentration and currently works for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

She is on the executive board of the Thornton Veterans Memorial Foundation, which is building a Veteran’s Memorial Park in Thornton. Linda is also on the missions committee at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, which targets community projects for involvement with the church. Previously, she was also on the executive board of Northern Lights Little League, who built a seven-field ballpark.

Married for 31 years, Linda has three children. Her daughter lives in Savannah, Georgia, with her husband and Linda’s grandson. Her first granddaughter is due in July. Linda’s oldest son is an Iraq War veteran, who successfully completed two tours in Iraq and is now studying to be a firefighter. Her youngest son is a computer programmer and a musician.

“I have always felt that Adams County libraries lacked a certain direction, and I have watched with great interest the growth of the Rangeview Library District. I feel the positive direction the district has taken is wonderful,” Linda says. She looks forward to contributing to help it grow.

“To me, libraries bring the world to its patrons,” says Linda. “It starts children in their discovery and wonder of the earth around them and of reading. It allows all people the access to knowledge and the wonders of the world. It is hard to think of a community without a connection to a library.”